Half to william o



(No Model.)

- G. W. WARDWELL.

WEED CUTTING ATTAGHMBNT FORRAILWAY cARsi N0. 369,06 9. Patented Aug. 30,1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WILSON WARDWELL, OF FREEPORT, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO WILLIAM O. PULLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

WEED-CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,039, dated August 30, 1887.

Application filed May 13, 1887. Serial No. 238,153. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES WILsoN WARDWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Freeport, in the county of Harper and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Weed- Cutting Attachments for Railway-Oars, and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to attachments to cars of that class designed to cut or mow the weeds or other foreign growth, both between and upon the outside of the rails upon which the car travels;- andthe invention consists in the peculiar combinations and in the construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, shown in the drawings, and particularly defined in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hand-car, with my improvement at tached. Fig. 2 is an end view of my attachment, showing also a portion of the car, parts of which are in section.

Referring to the details of the drawings, A represents the wheels, B the axles, O the platform, and A B O the operating mechanism of a hand-car of known construction, and a the rails upon which the same is designed to travel.

Suitably journaled upon the rear end of the platform, upon the shaft 1), is the frictionwheel 0, which revolves in contact with and has motion imparted to it from one of the rear wheels of the car. This friction-wheel is provided with a band-hub, (1, around which and the pulley b on the shaft 0 is the crossed belt 01. The shaft 0 is supported in the end of the lever D, which is pivoted upon the shaft 1), and this lever is provided with a suitable handle, d, as shown. Upon this shaft 0 aresecured the cutters E, one upon each side of the rail a, which cutters are preferably of the form shown, although any form suitable for the purpose may be employed.

F F are bails of suitable material, of the form shown, with their ends sleeved upon the shaft 0, and which bails form the stationary cutter, against which the revolving cutters teeth to engage therewith, or the guide may be provided with a number of holes and the lever with a pin, for apurpose hereinafter de scribed.

Near the lower end of the lever D, I secure the guard I, which passes down in front of the cutters, for the purpose of protecting the same from injury by contact with obstructions.

From the foregoing description theoperation is apparent. Motion is imparted to the car. The rear wheel, revolving in, contact with the friction-wheel c, imparts motion thereto, and consequently to the band-hub a, which, through the medium of the belt (I and the pulley b 011 the shaft 0, imparts a rotary motion to the cutters. ters may be adj usted by means of the lever D, which is held in its adjusted position by engagement with the guide H; or the cutters may be raised entirely out of the way, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, by throwing the lever to the front; Having thus described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a car-truck, of a base-plate provided with a means for detachably connecting the same to said truck, a friction-wheel carried by said base-plate and adapted to be operated by frictional contact with one of the wheels of the truck, and a cutting apparatus operated from said frictionwheel, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a car-truck and a friction-wheel revolving in contact with one The height of the cutof the wheels of said truck, of a lever pivoted on the shaft of said friction-wheel, cutters carried by the lower end of said lever, and means for operating said cutters from said friction- 5 wheel, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a car-truck,abaseplate secured thereto, a friction-wheel journaled in said base-plate, anda lever pivoted on the shaft of said friction-wheel, of a guide for 10 said lever and engaging thesame, a shaftcarried by the lower end of said lever, a band-pulley and rotary cutters on said shaft, and a connection between said friction-wheel and bandpulley, substantially as and for the purpose r5 described.

4. The combination, with a car-truck, a

base-plate secured thereto, a friction-wheel journaled in said base-plate, and a lever pivoted on the shaft of said friction-wheel, of a guide for said lever and engaging the same, a shaft carried by the lower end of said lever, a band-pulley and rotary cutters on said shaft, a connection between said friction-wheel and band-pulley, and a guard secured to said lever in advance of said cutters, substantially as 25 and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. WILSON WARDWELL. Witnesses:

MINNIE E. WARDWELL, J. R. BEATY. 

